Damien Leo Leith (born 18 January 1976, in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

) is an Irish-Australian

singer–songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk- acoustic tradition with a guitar, although this role has ...

. He was the winner of the

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...

music contest ''

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Id ...

'' in 2006. Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of which peaked in the top two of the

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

Charts, including two number ones. He has been awarded seven platinum and one gold certification for albums and singles by

, which equates to sales of just over half a million.

Early life

As a teenager Leith formed a family band, "Leaf", with his sister Áine and brothers Paul and Darren. Leaf recorded in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and then again later under the new name "Releaf", which made an appearance in the Irish Top 100. After moving to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, he played in a number of high-profile venues, as front-man for a band known as ''Revelate''. His first Australian performance was at The Basement in Sydney's

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...

. Before auditioning for ''

'', Leith worked in Sydney as a

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

with Pharmalab utilising the

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

(

Honours Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself as a code of conduct, and has various elements such as valo ...

) in

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

he obtained from

University College, Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

and

postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

experience within the Metallosupramolecular Research Group in the Chemistry Department of

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

''Australian Idol'' 2006

Only following determined coaxing by friends, Leith auditioned for the 4th series of

along with some 25,000 other contestants. He was selected by the judges as one of the final 24 contestants, and was the first person voted into the competition's top 12 as the result of a nationwide viewer vote. He was praised by the show's judges for his

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

technique, which he used regularly in performances. For the first time, Australian Idol 2006 permitted contestants to perform with instruments, and Leith accompanied himself on guitar for his renditions of

Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. Noted for his reverb-laden rockabilly revivalist style and wide vocal range, he is popularly known for his breakthrough hit and sig ...

's "

Wicked Game "Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak from his third album '' Heart Shaped World'' (1989). It was released as a single to little attention in July 1989 but became a sleeper hit when Lee Chestnut, an Atlanta radio station ...

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

's " Hallelujah",

Alex Lloyd Alexander Lloyd (Birth name, né Wasiliev; born 19 September 1974) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Four of his albums, ''Black the Sun'', ''Watching Angels Mend'', ''Distant Light (Alex Lloyd album), Distant Light'' and ''Alex Lloyd (al ...

's "Never Meant to Fail" and

Ben Harper Benjamin Charles Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music, and he is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, liv ...

's "Waiting on an Angel", and on piano for his rendition of

Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive rock, progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visua ...

's "Message to My Girl". Leith also played piano for the non-competition round "Up Close and Personal" night, when he performed his original song "Sky". Despite adverse comments from judges

Mark Holden Mark Ronald Holden (born 27 April 1954) is an Australian singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister. He was a pop star in the 1970s and had four top 20 hit singles, " Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (May 1976 ...

and

Kyle Sandilands Kyle Dalton Sandilands (born 10 June 1971) is an Australian radio host, shock jock and television personality. He is currently the co-host, with Jackie O, of the weekday morning radio program '' The Kyle and Jackie O Show'' on Sydney's radio s ...

in relation to Leith's appearance and a performance of Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" on the "Disco" theme night, which drew ridicule from Holden, the judges' assessments of Leith's performances were usually positive with Holden labelling him a 'darkhorse' early in the competition. His renditions of

's "

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

's "

Crying Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state or physical pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, joy, and fear. Crying can also be caused by relief from a period ...

's " Hallelujah" and

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, s ...

's " Nessun Dorma" each earned Leith a "Touchdown" from Mark Holden, Holden's ultimate accolade for an excellent performance. Leith holds the record (with Australian Idol 2004 winner Casey Donovan) for being awarded the most touchdowns, at four apiece. Sandilands also stated that the family of Roy Orbison had contacted the ''Australian Idol'' producers requesting a copy of Leith's performance of "Crying". Although he was one of the most popular interviewees on Idol's behind-the-scenes show Idol Backstage, he was not expected by betting agencies to win the competition with Dean Geyer punted as the favourite to win throughout. Leith is one of only few contestants to never land in the bottom 2 or bottom 3 throughout their series. During a live broadcast from the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

, Leith was announced the winner, over runner-up

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (; born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the Australian Idol (season 4), fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and s ...

. At age 30 at the time, Leith became the second oldest winner of any Idol series in the world. Controversy among viewers was created as Leith was not an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

citizen Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality ...

at the time of winning the ''

''.

''Australian Idol'' performances

Post-''Idol'' career

2006: ''The Winner's Journey''

Leith signed a recording contract with

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

and his debut single, " Night of My Life", was released as a paid digital download from Bigpond Music soon after the conclusion of the grand finale, with an official CD release on 28 November, which included an original composition written and produced by Leith titled "Come to Me". The single was certified "Gold" (35,000 copies sold) within 72 hours of its release. On 3 December 2006, the single debuted at number 1 and stayed in that position for 4 weeks, being accredited

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

(70,000 copies shipped) in its first week of release. It was the fastest-selling debut single released during 2006, and also the most added song to radio. The video for " Night of My Life" debuted on national television on Saturday 9 December 2006. Set in the urban streets of

Chippendale, New South Wales Chippendale is a small inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the southern edge of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of the City of Sydney. Chippendale is locate ...

, the video was produced by Cutting Edge Productions. Although with an official release date of 9 December, on 6 December 2006, Leith's CD/DVD pack entitled '' The Winner's Journey'' with all his '' Idol'' performances and two original tracks began appearing in non-

accredited stores. The release debuted at number 3 with Platinum accreditation (70,000 copies shipped) on the

Album Charts released on Sunday, 10 December 2006, and rose to number 1 on the following week, with 89,000 units sold and certified platinum four times (280,000 copies shipped). It sold a 2006 record of 101,206 units in the pre-

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

week and continued to stay in the same position of number 1 for the next four weeks. In late December 2006, Leith signed with Sony BMG Ireland and, on 18 January 2007, "Night of My Life" entered the Top 10 singles chart in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The next week it rose up two spots to the position of number 8. Leith performed in a nationally televised concert, Australia Day Live, on the eve of

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...

in 2007, in the nation's capital,

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. He performed two songs, Peter Allen's "Tenterfield Saddler" with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and "Night of My Life". In late February 2007, Leith embarked on a two-week, 14 show tour of major Australian East Coast cities. Labelled ''The Winner's Journey Tour'', the concerts featured many of the songs performed by Leith during Australian Idol, as well as showcasing new original songs destined for his forthcoming studio album, including the folk/acoustic piece "Song for Jarvis", dedicated to his son, and "Beautiful", a band piece written by Leith during his trip to Ireland after winning ''Australian Idol''. Supporting Leith on the tour was Sydney singer-songwriter and friend Mark Wilkinson. On 22 February 2007, Leith was presented with two

No. 1 Chart Awards for his first single "Night of My Life" and first album '' The Winner's Journey''. These awards are presented to Australian artists whose singles and albums reach no. 1 on the

national single and album charts over the thirteen months from December 2005 to December 2006. In March 2007, Leith again performed "Night of My Life" and was nominated for "Spankin' New Artist" and "Best Male Artist" awards at the

MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2007 The MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2007 was broadcast live from Acer Arena on 29 April 2007 on MTV Australia. It was then repeated on the Ten Network on 6 May 2007. The hosts for the awards were Fergie, along with Good Charlotte, while S ...

. On 9 July 2007, Leith was nominated for a 2007 Helpmann Award in the category of Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert (other nominees are David Campbell,

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

). The annual Helpmann Awards recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia's vibrant live performance sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, opera, classical music, dance and physical theatre. The Helpmann Awards, named in honour of Sir Robert Helpmann and to commemorate his memory and achievements, are similar to the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

s on Broadway and the Olivier Awards in London. In early November 2007, Leith performed "22 Steps" on the TV soap opera ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...

''.

2007–2008: ''Where We Land''

Leith's second single " 22 Steps" was released to Australian radio on 22 June 2007 and then was in stores on 21 July, which debut and peaked at number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The studio album '' Where We Land'' followed and was released on 18 August 2007. It debuted at number one on 27 August in the

Albums Chart. This is his second number one album within seven months. Damien is also the first

winner to score two consecutive number 1 albums. Leith had an appearance on '' Rove'' on 26 August 2007 and he performed live during the semi-finals of Australian Idol 2007 on 30 August. The second single from the album is "All I Want Is You",Damien To Include Perth + Adelaide In His Tour!
.

. Retrieved on 28 September 2007. which he performed on 8 October verdict show on Australian Idol 2007. Leith embarked on a national ''Where We Land'' tour around Australia, performing his own material from the album, which began in November. The original schedule of the tour only included venues located along the east coast, but it was announced on 28 September that the tour will be extended to include

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. During February 2007, Leith signed a book deal with Australian publishers,

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

. His first novel, written three years before entering ''Australian Idol'', has been described by Leith as a psychological thriller set in Nepal. The novel, ''One More Time'', was released on 1 October 2007. In October 2007, Leith was nominated for three Australian

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

including; Best Breakthrough Single and Highest Selling Single for " Night of My Life", which he was unsuccessful in. He was also nominated for Highest Selling Album for '' The Winner's Journey'', which he won. In February 2008, Damien began hosting

's television series ''Saving Kids''. It was filmed at

Sydney Children's Hospital Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, is an Australian children's hospital located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. On 1 July 2010 it became part of the newly formed Sydney Children's Hospitals Netwo ...

, allowing viewers to see medical miracles unfolding in the stories of children being treated for serious illnesses and horrific injuries. His song "Not Just for the Weekend" from his debut studio album served as the theme song and was released as a promotional single to promote the show.

2008: ''Catch the Wind''

On 26 April 2008, less than a year after the release of his first studio album, '' Where We Land'', Leith released his second album, '' Catch the Wind: Songs of a Generation''. The album contained his own interpretations of classic folk songs. The album debut in the

Albums Chart at number 3 on 4 May and rose to its peak at number 2 the next week held off the top spot by

André Rieu André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (, ; born 1 October 1949) is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known as the founder of the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Rieu and his orchestra tour worldwide, often playing in stadiums. He resides ...

and Mirusia's ''

Waltzing Matilda "Waltzing Matilda" is a song developed in the Australian style of poetry and folk music called a bush ballad. It has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem". The title was Australian slang for travelling on foot (waltzing ...

''. It was certified Gold in its third week. Leith performed a series of live shows across Australia for his Catch the Wind tour which began in May and ran until late July. The tour was up-close and personal set in small venues with only two other band members.

2009: ''Remember June''

Leith's third studio album, '' Remember June'', was released in Australia on 9 October. It debuted at number 25 and spent two weeks in the ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart, and 3 weeks in the ARIA Top 20 Australian Artist Albums Chart. The first single from the album, "To Get to You", went to radio on 14 September, and was released 25 September. The second single "Forgive Forget" was released in April 2010. It reached No. 65 on the ARIA Singles Chart, No. 1 on the ARIA Physical Singles Chart, and No. 13 on the Australian Artists Single Chart. He has also released his second novel which has a father and son relationship plot, and was released by HarperCollins. The book is also called ''Remember June''. His first novel, "One More Time" was published in 2007.

2011: ''Roy''

In an interview with Australian magazine ''New Idea'', Damien mentioned he had recorded his fourth studio album in the United States. It was released on 15 April 2011. It is an album of

covers, entitled ''Roy'', and was released to coincide with what would have been Orbison's 75th birthday. This album was produced by Barbara Orbison, Roy's widow, who died on 6 December 2011, aged 61. The album peaked at number 2, and spent 25 non-consecutive weeks on the ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart and gained platinum certification.

2012–2014: ''Now & Then'' and ''Chapter Seven''

On Friday, 20 April 2012, Damien's fifth studio album '' Now & Then'' was released. It debuted at number 14 and peaked at number 12 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

, and spent four weeks in the top 50. Two singles, "Beautiful" and "Run", were released. Neither single impacted on the ARIA Charts. "Beautiful" was featured in an Estee Lauder TV commercial airing on various networks in the United States in late 2012. On 1 November 2013, Damien's released a new album called '' Chapter Seven''. It was preceded by single "Without a Fight", which was released on 13 September. ''Chapter Seven'' spent one week in the ARIA Top 100, peaking at number 57.The ARIA Report: Week commencing 18 November 2013
Pandora Archives. Retrieved 7 December 2013 Its three singles, "Without a Fight", "Halfway Heart" and "You and I" did not chart. In May 2014, Leith released a new single titled "One and Only Mum". In August 2014, Leith released a triple A-sided single of "Last Goodbye"/"Fields of Gold"/"Girl Back on Blue Bayou" via Leithal Enterprises with Joe Melson. In November 2014, Leith released a Christmas

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

titled ''It's Christmas Time''. It featured the traditional Christmas carols "Silent Night", "Jingle Bells", "It's Christmas Time", "Auld Lang Syne" and "Deck the Halls".

2015-2017: ''Songs from Ireland''

In February 2015, Leith announced his eighth album titled '' Songs from Ireland''. The release reunites him with Sony Music Australia as he covers classic Irish songs including "Molly Malone", "Galway Girl" and "Wild Colonial Boy" and was released in March. In 2016, Leith will travel Australia with the "Winner’s Journey: 10th Anniversary Tour". Leith said; "It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since I first stepped onto the 'Australian Idol stage'. One thing is for certain, I wouldn’t be doing what I am today without all the amazing support from fans over the years. From my albums, to my books and concerts, you've been there all the way and I can't thank you all enough." In January 2017, Leith won his first Golden Guitar award at the Country Music Awards of Australia winning Song of the Year for "Call Me Cray" which he co-wrote with Travis Collins. In 2017, Leith toured the 'Roy – A Tribute to Roy Orbison' show across Australia.

2018: ''Damien Leith Storytime'' and ''Gospel''

In 2018 Leith commenced a new project called 'Damien Leith Storytime' and features bedtime stories for kids. He released an EP in February. In August, Leith released his ninth studio album, ''Gospel''; an album inspired by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. As of late August 2018, Leith joined

Muswellbrook Muswellbrook ( ) is a town in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle. Geologically, Muswellbrook is situated in the northern parts of the Sydney bas ...

-based radio station 98.1 Power FM as a breakfast announcer. In 2020, Leith performed " Uninvited" with Greg Gould from Gould's album ''1998''.

Personal life

He was born in Ireland and raised near Milltown, County Kildare. His father travelled as part of his work as an engineer, and their family lived in various countries including

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

and

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

. Leith later on emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

where he married Eileen Stapleton, an Australian. They have two sons and a daughter. Leith became an Australian citizen on 25 January 2007, taking the pledge from then Prime Minister of Australia,

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

, in a nationally televised broadcast on Network Ten. He currently lives in

Wollongong, New South Wales Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

and works as a radio announcer.

Discography

Live and Studio albums * '' The Winner's Journey'' (2006) * '' Where We Land'' (2007) * '' Catch the Wind: Songs of a Generation'' (2008) * '' Remember June'' (2009) * '' Roy: A Tribute to Roy Orbison'' (2011) * '' Now & Then'' (2012) * '' Chapter Seven'' (2013) * '' Songs from Ireland'' (2015) * ''Gospel'' (2018) * ''Two of Us: The Songs of Lennon & McCartney'' (2020) (with Darren Coggan) * ''Treasured Favourites'' (2020) * ''Roy Orbison Orchestrated'' (2023)

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

! , - , rowspan="3",

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, rowspan="2", "Night of My Life" , Breakthrough Artist – Single , , rowspan="3", , - , Highest Selling Single , , - , ''The Winner's Journey'' , Highest Selling Album , , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, ''Roy'' , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , , -

Helpmann Awards

The

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. ! , - , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2", ''The Winner's Journey - Live'' , Best Australian Contemporary Concert , , rowspan="2", , - , Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert , , -

MTV Australia Awards

The annual MTV Australia Awards were awards issued by MTV Australia from 2005 to 2009. ! , - , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2", "Night of My Life" , Best Male Artist , , rowspan="2", , - , Spankin' New Artist , , -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leith, Damien 1976 births Living people Alumni of Trinity College Dublin 21st-century Australian singers ARIA Award winners Australian Idol winners Irish novelists 21st-century Irish chemists Irish emigrants to Australia Irish male singers Musicians from County Kildare Naturalised citizens of Australia Sony BMG artists Television presenters from the Republic of Ireland 19 Recordings artists Irish male novelists 21st-century Irish singers 21st-century Australian male singers